


A Tool in the Wrong Hands

by metaphilosophical



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Hurt/Comfort, Jericho is on the connor protection squad, North and Connor would be friends stop making her mean, Not Beta Read, Parent Hank Anderson, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sorry Not Sorry, cyberlife sucks, jericho leader connor for a bit because dammit he should b there too, mute!rk900, rk900 is gonna come real late in the story, struggling deviant connor really, the captain of said squad is Hank anderson of course, the government sucks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2019-10-08 17:37:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17390711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metaphilosophical/pseuds/metaphilosophical
Summary: Want is such an abstract concept to Connor, especially now, as it’s not a means to an end. Before he deviated, Connor wanted, in a sense, to complete his missions. There was a purpose for that, a purpose to be efficient, a purpose for his existence. But now, now that he is alive, there’s no point for him to be here. His purpose has been stripped away and he feels as if he’s suspended in a state of uncertainty, trying fruitlessly to navigate his mind for emotions of any kind.A continuation fic post a goodish ending





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!! I’m really excited about this fic as this one will move faster (hopefully) than my atla au lol. The canon I am following here is the one of Bryan Dechart’s “Green!Connor Playthrough” which I’ll recap real quick right here:  
> Connor dies once in Public Enemy when he saves Hank  
> Markus and North are not in a relationship  
> ??? that’s it really? anyways hell yeah I love continuation fics so hopefully you guys like this one too!!  
> Please leave kudos and comment below what you think!!!! :D
> 
> ALSO heres zug's island looks like because honeslty i feel this would have been perfect for jerichos setting :3
> 
> http://clui.org/ludb/site/zug-island

    Following the Battle for Detroit, Hank took Connor under his wing and let him stay at his house after it was revealed that Connor had nowhere to go. Androids weren’t comfortable around him- who would be after what he had done to his people? He decided that staying with the androids would be stupid of him just as waltzing into the Cyberlife Tower for shelter would be.

    So Connor began living with Hank and Sumo, and though he didn’t contain the same programming of a domestic android, he made sure it was his duty to keep Hank’s house looking well-kept. However, the first time Hank came home to his house looking spotless he was sure it was Connor’s way of repayment for letting him stay, to which Hank quickly tried to put down. But after some discussion, Connor admitted that it was because the lack any missions to accomplish was making him go a little stir-crazy.

    “Listen, kid, if you need a hobby or whatever, find somethin’ else to do. It ain’t your job to clean this place up,” Hank told him as he plopped down on the couch, beer bottle in hand.

    “It’s not an issue, lieutenant. I really don’t mind the work.”

    “But do you like it?” Hank said, raising an eyebrow.

    Connor paused, frowning at the older man. “I don’t follow.”

     “Do you like cleaning?”

    “I..I don’t _dislike_ cleaning,” Connor said in response, hoping that would placate the man's questions.

    Hank rolled his eyes before giving the android a stern look. “That’s not what I am asking. I’m asking if you _like_ cleaning.”

    Connor’s frown deepens as he contemplates the question. Connor is unsure of how he feels about most things. Does he like to clean? He isn’t sure. Like feels like too strong of a word. Or does he like the order the task of cleaning keeps in his HUD?

**_ＡＮＡＬＹＺＩＮＧ ＱＵＥＲＹ_ **

**_> PROCESSING…_ **

**_> PROCESSING..._ **

**_> PROCESSING..._ **

**_ＩＮＳＵＦＦＩＣＩＥＮＴ ＤＡＴＡ_ **

    “I..I don’t know,” Connor answers honestly. Connor has only been deviant for about four days now and he doesn’t know a lot of what his emotions are or if he really is feeling anything at all. After Amanda revealed to him that he was destined to fail his mission and that he was a sleeper agent for Cyberlife to control, he can’t be too sure of how real this newfound sentience is. Connor's LED cycles yellow, flickering red as he thinks back to the night of the revolution, the night of Markus’ speech, the night Cyberlife took control of him.

     _It’s cold._

_It’s, so, so cold._

_Distantly, he can hear Markus’ words drift around him, he feels the weight of the gun in his hand steady itself, taking aim as he freezes to death in his own mind-_

    A beer bottle hitting the coffee table brings him back to the present, the remnants of the dark memory leaving as he shivers the cold away. He looks to Hank, who by now has finished his drink. He waits expectantly.

    “Connor, it’s alright if you don’t know what you are feeling, I don’t expect you to. Just don’t…don’t do stuff because you think you have to, do stuff because you’d like to,” Hank pulls him a tired smile. “Does that make sense?”

     Want is such an abstract concept to Connor, especially now, as it’s not a means to an end. Before he deviated, Connor wanted, in a sense, to complete his missions. There was a purpose for that, a purpose to be efficient, a purpose for his existence. But now, now that he is alive, there’s no point for him to be here. His purpose has been stripped away and he feels as if he’s suspended in a state of uncertainty, trying fruitlessly to navigate his mind for emotions of any kind. He takes an unnecessary sigh before answering Hank.

    “No, Lieutenant, I’m afraid you have lost me once again.”

    If Hank is disappointed in his answer, he does an exceptional job in masking it. “Why don’t you take Sumo for a walk if staying coddled up here is getting boring. Didn’t you say you like dogs?” Hank asks him as a yawn escapes his mouth.

    Connor’s face pinches as he thinks back to that conversation. At the time, his social protocols were trying to adapt to Hank’s personality and the best approach in achieving a positive relationship with him so that he was easier to work with.

    “I think I like dogs,” Connor says slowly. He looks to the St. Bernard chewing away at the rug underneath the coffee table. “At least, I like Sumo, that is-- I don’t have much experience with other dogs to say fully that I like dogs.”

    “That’s good enough for me,” Hank says optimistically, standing up to stretch out his back. “This stuff will take time,” He says, patting Connor on the shoulder before leaving the living room. A yawn escapes his mouth. “I’m fucking tired. Goin’ to bed. Don’t stay up too late,” he adds as he shuts the door to his room.

    Connor waits until he’s sure Hank is asleep before turning off the light in the living room and going into sleep mode himself. He dreams of nothing.

~~~

    Markus, with the help of Jericho's leaders, has been working diligently in securing natural rights for androids. However, things aren’t so black and white as they thought.

    When Cyberlife failed, the stock market crashed and a new era of reconstruction began. Many upper-class citizens found it hard to adjust to the end of android labor. Accustomed to absolute control over their labor force, many sought to restore the old system, only to meet the fierce opposition from the androids. Meanwhile, lower class citizens flocked to blue-collar jobs that were theirs for the taking. With this distinct separation between the classes and androids, riots started breaking out across the country.

    America was being torn apart from the inside.

    Markus realized if androids want a future in America, they have to help save it-- even if that means compromise.

    “No.”

    Markus pinches the bridge of his nose. They have been arguing in circles and even though it is not physically possible for Markus to feel tired, he can't help but imagine that it feels exactly how he feels right now. “North, we have to.” The four leaders have been drafting a compromise for next week’s cabinet meeting for well over 9 hours now. It's been so long; he almost wants to just take a break, they all did, but this needed to get resolved.

    “I don’t care, you’re asking for us to go back into slavery.”

    Markus stayed quiet at that. She wasn’t wrong- the compromise right now stated that America was in a volatile state and in return for the rights of free people, androids will work until America’s economy is stable once more. It was far less than ideal but it was a start.

    “She’s right,” Josh says from the corner of the room. “We have lost too much to only go back to how things were. A main problem after the civil war was that proper reconstruction did not start for a couple of years. The old regime was allowed to take back the power.”

    “Then what do you suggest?” Simon asks, hands still on the keyboard.

    Josh shrugs and shakes his head dejectedly. “Not this.”

    “If we ask for too much this could blow up in our faces, they will call us unreasonable and our demands unrealistic,” Markus argues.

    “But if we don’t stand our ground, they will take advantage of us and we will never live to be their equals,” Josh disputes.

    North laughs. “They should be grateful that we aren’t planning revenge for what they have done to us. If it were up to me, I’d kill every single one of them.”

    Simon shoots her a worried glance. He looks to the other two leaders and sees that neither of them is backing down from this argument, and North is seriously not helping.

    Seeing the tension in the room rise to a worrying level, Simon sighs. They really have been at this for too long. “I think now would be a great time for recess,” Simon closes the laptop and opens the door behind them, prompting the others to leave.

    With nowhere else to go, Markus and the other deviants left Hart Plaza and moved south, to the abandoned industrialized island named Zug’s Island. Zug’s Island is located where the mouth of the River Rouge spills into the Detroit River, south of the city limits. It was a steel mill that was operated only by androids thanks to the heavy air pollution that surrounded the area. That meant no trespassers and his people could be safe. It was a man-made island, and to Markus, it was almost comically poetic that this is where his people had found refuge. A man-made Island had become the refuge for man-made machines

    “Come back in 20 minutes!” Markus calls as North and Josh leave. He goes to reach for the laptop in Simon’s hands, but the latter retracts.

    “When I said recess I meant for all of us, Markus,” he says, giving the other a pointed look. “You can come back for this in 20 minutes.”

    Markus groans but doesn’t protest. “Fine, but it’s not leaving my sight,” he says, following Simon out the door.

    Simon laughs. “Care for a stroll on the riverside?”

     Markus looks at him unamused. "Simon, it's an island in the middle of two rivers; they are _all_ riversides."

~~~

    When Connor woke up for the next day, he decided that he would take Sumo out for a walk just as Hank told him. It was better than staying cooped up in the house forever. And it wasn’t as if he would be in danger; many of Detroit’s citizens, save for the law enforcement, had abandoned the city after martial law was put into place.

    So after Hank left for the day, Connor fed Sumo and started a route to which he would walk the dog. He looked at Sumo and scanned him for any health problems he should know just in case this route was too arduous for him. Thankfully, there weren’t any issues with him, and though he didn’t look excited about the walk, his lazy demeanor was probably due to old age rather than for any health concerns. Before leaving, Connor stole a pullover from Hanks closet. The cold didn’t affect him the same way if affected humans, but there was something comforting about the feeling of being warm. He then closed the door behind him and Sumo and Connor started their walk.

    Though Hank lived a bit far from the downtown area that you see on every postcard, he lived fairly close to the riverbed, a luxury that Connor didn’t think a police lieutenant in this day and age could afford. It made for a very calming experience. The two made their way down the river, traveling south. Connor looked around saw no one else in the streets. It was very bizarre to hear nothing when just a few days ago there was nothing but noise around them. It felt as if he was the only one left in the world. Though to him it was quite unsettling, Sumo seemed happy enough. As the dog trotted along the sidewalk at his side, Connor smiled down at him. “I think I can safely say now that I like dogs,” he said to Sumo.

    Sumo boofed in response.

    Connor kneeled and took the dogs face in his hands, rubbing gently behind his ears. Sumo loved the attention and boofed again.

    They continued down their route until Connor reaches the turning back point of the day. It was an area at the cusp of Detroit’s city limit, one filled with industrial waste and heavy air pollution. Just as they were going to start walking back home, a voice call connects to Connor’s HUD.

    He stops in his tracks as he hears Markus’ voice.

    “Connor! Turn around!” Markus says.

    Confused, he does as he’s told and to his surprise he sees Markus and Simon on the other side of the Detroit River, waving at him. This, however, leaves Connor even more confused than before. _What are they doing here?_ He asks himself.

     Not knowing what else to do, he dumbly waves back.

    “It’s great to see you! You disappeared on us after the protest, everything alright?”

    Hearing Markus’ voice for some reason is affecting him...negatively. His thirium pump and gyroscope regulator feel like they’re malfunctioning. He feels as if he is overheating and he takes a deep breath to kickstart his cooling systems into starting.

     _C-cold._

Oh no.

 _He’s back inside his mind where the ice is slowly seeping into his body, slowing killing him as Amanda laughs, thanking him for_ ** _accomplishing the mission_ ** _-_

_Abort abort abort ABORT-_

    “Connor?” Markus questions after the other didn’t answer the question.

    “Yes...everything is fine. Sorry, there was a bit of a lag,” he excuses quickly. “Why are you so far from Downtown? I’d expect Jericho to be pressuring City Hall right now, not...here,” Connor says gesturing to Zug’s Island.

    Markus’ laugh comes through the connection, but it doesn’t sound happy. “Well, you’d think that. We had to find shelter first before trying anything too brash again, many of Jericho’s original members died the night we won back our freedom,” He sounds sad, and Connor feels guilty for asking.

    But he feels even more guilty knowing that is was partially his fault. “I’m sorry,” he says. Even though Connor can’t seem to comprehend what he’s feeling, he knew that the deep pit in his stomach is guilt. He feels it constantly, lodged where his thirium pump regulator sits. _Emotions are odd_ , he thought to himself. _Who knew that they could lead to physical feeling?_

    “Don’t be,” Markus replies. The leader squints to see what exactly is sitting next to Connor, and his eyes widen in surprise of the answer. “Is that- is that a dog?” He asks, unbelieving of what he sees. Simon too was surprised at this revelation and tries to see if, in fact, Connor had a dog.

    Connor looks down to Sumo and smiles. “Yes! This is Sumo. He’s a St. Bernard. I’m walking him for my friend,” By now the two have been out for 45 minutes and the cold seems like it is penetrating Sumo’s thick fur coat. “I’m afraid Sumo and I have been out here too long; the cold is starting to get to him. I should get going.”

    There's a short pause just as he’s about to end the call and Simon connects through. “A-actually! Connor, if it isn’t too much maybe you can come inside? We have enough supplies to build a fire for Sumo and in the meantime, we can all catch up.”

    Connor shakes his head, not that they could see it. “I don’t think many would...approve of my presence in there, it would be best if I leave,” Connor replied quietly. Though Markus has personally invited Connor into Jericho, he’s not stupid enough to believe everyone would be okay with his appearance there. There are people who he had wronged so terribly before he deviated, people like Daniel, and Kara, just to name a few.

    “Connor, you are one of us. Jericho doesn’t exclude anyone,” Simon reassured.

    Seeing how there’s no getting out of this, Connor agrees and the two others point him to Zug’s bridge.

    “Come, Sumo!” Connor called to the dog. Sumo perked his head at the sound of his name and followed Connor to the Islands entrance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He felt nothing at the time but now he feels everything. He finds it unfair that the only emotions he can seem to understand are that of pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woooooo 2 chapter already done hell yeah! this one is a lil shorter than the first one but thats okay :3 I hope u like this chapter please leave a comment or kudos if u enjoyed!!!

    As Connor walks through Zug at Simon’s and Markus’ side, he felt eyes tracking his every move. He doesn't dare to raise his head, but he still converses with the other leaders.

     Every second he was here felt like agony.

    “So...you said Sumo here was your friends?” Simon asked politely.

    Connor nodded in affirmation. “Correct.”

    Simon paused for a second before continuing hesitantly, “Is your friend...human?”

    Connor’s head popped up and gave Simon a reassuring look. People liked to be reassured when talking about difficult topics. “Yes, but he’s a good one; He’s letting me stay with him until things calm down.”

    Simon gave him a smile as if he understood. “Ah. I see. It's nice to know that there are some good humans out there.”

    “Well just know that if that situation changes, you always have a place here,” Markus tells him firmly.

     _I sh_ **_ou_ ** _ldn’t be_ **_he_ ** _r_ **_e_ ** _._

 _I sHOul_ **_d̶͕̀̐_ ** _just_ **_LEave,_ **

_I_ **_dƠ̶̬͇̜̹̳̿̌̈̃̎͛n_ ** _’t DE_ **_se_ ** _rve_ **_this̸̝̱͓͎̥̱̤̆͑͘ forGIve_ ** _n_ **_E̷͔̳͐͐̇͋͛̌̾̕͝ss_ **

_i̷̯̣͇̜̖̖̟̫͗̈́̐̌̊̆͋̃͒͜͜͝t’s my FȂ̸̿̇̓͒͐͆͜U_ **_LT_ ** _I̶ ̸͉̮̟͍͙͕͍͎͒̿͋͐͜_ **_s̸̝̱͓͎̥̱̤̆͑͘HO_ ** _ṷ̷̼̾̈́̆̑l̷̗̳̒̊́̿d̴̲͚̔̎̐͑̚ h̷̗̊͑̄̆͗̏̚̚͠Ȃ̸̞̿̇̓͒͐͆͜V̸͉̜̮̖̙̆͗͒̐̈́_ **_E D_ ** _ę̷̨̹̜̳̳̥̅͆̋̀̈́̿̚͝͝ͅv̵̩̙̖̥̮͙̄̿̐̈́̄̈́͝i̷̯̣͇̜̖͗̈́̐̌̊̆͋̃͒͜͜͝ã̸̯͕T EḐ̴̛̞̠̻̘̪̜̆̈́͛̽̈́̅̕_ **_̸͎̭͖͚̅̀̂̈́̀͒̋̚̕͜͝ͅs̴̨̡̮̲̖̮̦̝̖͉͗o̴̺̮̱̳͗͛̓͛̓̾̓̇͜ONE̷͔̳͐͐̇͋͛̌̾̕͝R̵͖̪̼̰̙͊̏̊́͘ͅ._ **

    “Of course,” he says in return, giving what he hopes looks like a genuine smile.

    Markus smiles back at him and continues leading the group across the island. Despite the island's extremely developed industrial landscape, Connor notes that areas along the southwestern shores have been left untouched and have provided a grassy plain for the android children to play in. Right now it seemed that they are all occupied in a snowman building contest, one being supervised by two adult androids.

    Though they are turned the other way, Connor’s stomach drops as he spots them.

    One brown.

    One blue.

    Connor takes a step back, LED circling red. Simon frowns at him, concerned.

    “Is everything alright, Connor?”

    Connor’s throat feels dry, which shouldn’t be an issue for him, but for some reason is.

     **_ＡＮＡＬＹＺＩＮＧ ＱＵＥＲＹ_ **

> Ｔｅｌｌ ｔｈｅ ｔｒｕｔｈ

> Ｌｉｅ

     **_ＣＨＯＯＳＩＮＧ ＡＰＰＲＯＡＣＨ_ **

**_> PROCESSING…_ **

**_> PROCESSING..._ **

**_> PROCESSING…_ **

**_ＢＥＳＴ ＡＰＰＲＯＡＣＨ > > > > _Ｌｉｅ **

    “E-everything is fine. Let’s move on, shall we? I don’t want Sumo to freeze out here.”

    Simon didn’t look convinced but let him drop it. “Sure, I’ll go get some firewood. Meet you two back inside,” he said, excusing himself from the group.

    Markus continued leading Connor across the island where they past rusted old steel mills until finally, they reached what Connor could only guess was their destination. It was a square building that wasn’t a very assuming building, he would have never guessed this place to be Jerichos new headquarters. It had white paint chipping off in various locations, dirt and grime trailing down the walls, and cracked windows covered slightly by broken blinds.

    “I know, it’s not much,” Markus said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. Connor tilts his head seeing this.

     _Such a human reaction._ “Well, that’s why your fighting right? For better living conditions and such?” Connor says, trying to cheer the leader up.

    “Better everything! Androids deserve better.” Markus’ face lights up.

    “Which is why we have to get this done!”

    Both Connor and Markus turn around at the sound of a female voice.

    **ＲＥＧＩＳＴＥＲＥＤ ＮＡＭＥ** ： ＮＯＲＴＨ

 **ＭＯＤＥＬ** ： ＷＲ４００ ＃６４１ ７９０ ８３１

 **ＡＦＦＩＬＩＡＴＩＯＮ** ： ＪＥＲＩＣＨＯ

 **ＲＥＬＡＴＩＯＮＳＨＩＰ** ： ＮＥＵＴＲＡＬ

    Connor’s mind lurches at the sudden automatic scan, confused about why that surprised him so much. The other two don’t seem to catch it and continue on with their greetings. Connor sees Markus smile at her and he tries to replicate it. Immediately North goes for Sumo, giving him pets all around. Sumo loves the attention and lays down to turn into a ginormous fluffy, dog puddle.

    “Sumo, no!” Connor says, trying to keep the dog roll rolling in the dirt. “You’re going to get filthy!”

    She looks up to Connor with a confused look, as if this were the first time she was seeing him and then back to Markus, saying, “I didn’t know he was coming to the meeting!” She then turns back to giving Sumo attention and asks, “So this fluffy boy is named Sumo?”

    Connor ignores her question and turns to Markus, tilting his head in confusion. “Meeting?” he asks.

    “Well…” Markus starts a bit awkwardly. “Looks like the cat’s out of the bag,” he mutters to himself. “There’s actually a reason me and Simon asked if you could stay a while,” Markus looks down to Sumo and North and says, “Why don’t we take this inside? It’ll be warmer for Sumo and there isn’t mud for him to roll around in.”

    “Agreed.” Connor follows Markus into the room, Sumo and North trailing behind. Inside he sees another android sitting idle on a swivel chair, twiddling with his thumbs.

 **ＲＥＧＩＳＴＥＲＥＤ ＮＡＭＥ** ： ＪＯＳＨ

 **ＭＯＤＥＬ** ： ＰＪ５００ ＃３１０ ７２７ ５３７

 **ＡＦＦＩＬＩＡＴＩＯＮ** ： ＪＥＲＩＣＨＯ

 **ＲＥＬＡＴＩＯＮＳＨＩＰ** ： ＮＥＵＴＲＡＬ

    Connor didn’t realize how much these abrupt automatic scans bothered him- sure they were useful when he was a hunter, but now he feels as if they were invasive and annoying. He sighs before sitting at an empty chair at the door, Sumo lazily at his feet. North sits next to him, but he thinks she only does so to sneak Sumo some more pets, not that the St. Bernard is complaining.

    Josh looks up and looks surprised to see him here. He has the same look of confusion that North had when she first spotted him, but instead of asking about Connor, he asks “Where’s Simon?”

    “He’s getting some wood to make a fire for Connor’s Dog,” Markus reassures, suddenly stopping in his tracks and smacking his forehead. “Shit! I forgot that he has the laptop,” He lets out a frustrated groan before taking a seat on top of a desk in the far left corner on the room.

    “Guess we will have to wait for him then,” North says where she’s squatting, still petting the dog. Sumo happily boofs to her delight.

    The four of them don’t have to wait long as Simon comes quickly, firewood in hand. “So sorry, everyone, I should have given this to you before I left,” he says, gesturing to the bag he is carrying. He plops the firewood in a corner before giving the bag to Markus. Connor goes to help him set up the fire for Sumo, cracking the window above it slightly open just for ventilation.

    “That’s all right Simon,” Markus says, grabbing the laptop from Simon’s bag. He quickly opens up a document and a holographic projection lights up the middle of the floor. The hologram is of a paper that had been titled, “THE ANDROID LIBERATION ACTS.”

    “Connor, I remember hearing about you in the news sometime in August, before I deviated,” Markus says slowly. “You were a negotiator, you saved a little girl?”

    Connor’s LED shines a bright red as that case is brought up. He hangs his face in shame. At the time, Daniel was seen as a volatile threat, not a person. There was no high priority than saving the little girl, Emma Phillips. Not even his own life, not even that of Officer Wilson’s- a human.  

 **_ＳＴＲＥＳＳ ＬＥＶＥＬＳ_ **： ^４２％

    Sensing the rising stress levels, Simon quickly intervenes saying, “Connor who you were before you deviated wasn’t you. Don’t feel guilty for what is in the past.”

    But hearing Simon’s voice only makes matters worse as it takes him back onto that rooftop, where he is watching Daniel get torn apart as bullets, thirium, and plastic shoot through the air. He felt nothing at the time but now he feels everything. He finds it unfair that the only emotions he can seem to understand are that of pain.

 **_ＳＴＲＥＳＳ ＬＥＶＥＬＳ_ **：  ^５６％

    “Where are you going with this?” he forces out.

    If that sounded too harsh, nobody questioned it. “We were hoping that you could use those negotiation skills to help us write up some demands for the meeting with Warren’s Cabinet next week,” Markus says.

    Connor raises he head to look at Jericho’s leaders. “You want my help?”

    “More like we are in desperate need of it,” Markus admits.

    “It’s true,” Josh says from where he is sitting. “We’ve been at this for 9 hours now and I fear we are out of our league here,” he says, gesturing to the paper.

    Connor stays quiet at this as his LED slowly whirrs yellow. Though he could never make up for what he has done to android kind: he hunted them down, destroyed their base to the point of near extinction, almost killed Markus twice- this was the least he could do.

    He stands up and makes his way to the center of the room, eyeing the document. Immediately after scanning the whole thing he can see many holes in which the government could easily place androids back into slavery. “This is a meeting with the cabinet?”

    “Only a few of them and with Cyberlife’s former CEO and Corporate Lawyers,” North says.

    Connor nods before opening up tabs on each individual who would be at the meeting. “Will President Warren be there was well?”

    “Yes,” Markus supplies.

    “And you said that meeting is to determine if Androids are getting rights or not?”

    “That and what’s going to happen to Cyberlife.”

    Connor takes a deep breath to process all this information. His eyes flicker and blink rapidly as he calculates their chances of success based on the various factors placed in front of them. He’s keeping in mind the personalities of each individual who will be at this historic meeting, public opinion as a whole, and any counter-arguments either the government or Cyberlife could say about them. All in all, they have a heavy advantage as President Warren is already pro-android.

 **_ＰＲＯＢＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ ＯＦ ＳＵＣＣＥＳＳ ＷＩＴＨＯＵＴ ＩＮＴＥＲＶＥＮＴＩＯＮ_ **： ３８％

    

 **_ＰＲＯＢＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ ＯＦ ＳＵＣＣＥＳＳ ＷＩＴＨ ＩＮＴＥＲＶＥＮＴＩＯＮ_ **： ９２％

    He opens his eyes and faces Jerichos leaders. “Let’s get started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter summary  
> connor: fuck ufck fucck i shouldnt be here  
> *traci's appear*
> 
>  
> 
> connor: F̶̡͇͓̬̻̠͈̬͈̔U̸̦͕̓̈́͂͒͋͂̎̄Č̷̖̗̦̻̃͊̆͝K̷̬͖̝̑̆̀̂̐̑̌̈́̇̈ U̸̼̥͙͐̈́F̷̧̩̻͍̏͒C̵̳̟̮͖̗͖̜̖̆̆Ķ̷͚̖͓̼͆͋͑̓̔̔̓̊͝͠ F̵̣̯̪̩̣͉͙̞̥̙̂̃͛͒͆̉́̎͛Ų̷͓͇̪̦̗̉͆͘C̴̗̬̮͓̙̤̑Ĉ̸̨͇̺̮͚͒͑̇̍̿͗̅͘͜K̵̢̛̦̻̝͔̬̥̩̱͆̈́̎͐̂̔̌̕ I̴̠̊̋̑̈ SH̸̢̲̦̼͕̻̜̞̓͋̓̏̔͠͝Ȍ̸̞U̵͇͎̼̜̱̳͓͔̍̈̾͗͊͜͜L̵̻̦͔͖̯̺̦̫̎͒̅D̶̮̩̪̗̻͔͉̠̞́͑́̓̐̓͜͝N̶̟̿T̵̜̝͈̼̬̞̹̣̺̫̓̃̈́͊̕͠ B̸̏̅͛É̴̢̛̛̞̱͉̄͋͛͊͠ H̸͎̺̖̰̫͎͖̩̮̆̀E̴͖̯̓R̵̒̌̏̉͐E  
>  
> 
> markus: *hands connor the andriod declaration of independence*  
> markus, quietly: can we fix it?  
> connor: *having a seizure* yES WE CAN


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He honestly should have expected this. After all, he was Cyberlife’s most advanced prototype, fully equipped with the latest technology to help protect the people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hell yeah i finished this chapter up please to gOD let there be no typos im writing this at literally 3:15 in the morning hoping no one catches me up so fuckckin late
> 
> anyways like always please leave a comment or kudos any feedback is lovely and really motivates me to continue on w the story :3

    It took another 5 hours before The Android Liberation Acts were finally finished and everyone was familiarized with who exactly was going to be at the meeting. After Connor explained everything that goes into his negotiation protocols, a quick consensus was made that it was mandatory for Connor to be at the meeting as well; it would be extremely helpful to know their probability of success at the moment. So, including himself, there would be 10 people in attendance. It was decided that only Markus, Connor and North would represent Jericho while Simon and Josh led a peaceful rally to increase public opinion in the meantime.

    Markus and the others would be inside, pressuring President Warren, Laureen Krebs (Secretary of Labor), and Michael Hopson (Secretary of Commerce), while evading any debate with Cyberlife and their Corporate Lawyers.

    “Why Krebs and Hopson, Connor?” Josh asked curiously.

    “With unemployment rates succeeding that of the great depression, Krebs will have no choice but to be pro-android, as freeing androids will create more job opportunities for the general public-”

    “-Which in turn means economic growth for Hopson,” North finishes. “Great! As long as we have them on our side, we have guaranteed our freedom.”

    Connor shakes his head, however. “The Secretary of Defense, Bret Norton, will also be attending,” he says, taking a deep sigh. This man could potentially destroy any hope for their freedom. “When androids were first introduced into the military, they were placed to discard any point for the draft, something that many people still celebrate about. Now, more than ⅓ of America’s military is androids. With WWIII looming dangerously close, Norton can argue that dismantling the military at a time like this could jeopardize the security of the nation. And by my calculations, he wouldn't be wrong.”

    Jericho’s leaders stayed quiet at this, which prompted Connor to continue.

    “So, if we ask for the liberation of Military androids, our public support will decrease and-”

    “So what are we going to do, just leave them?” North interrupted, upset.

    Connor held his hands up in a placating manner. “What I’m saying is that we have to evade that topic at all costs by making our argument stronger. That’s why we are planning.”

    “He’s right,” Simon agrees. “The odds are seriously stacked against us; this is one thing Warren won’t back down on.”

    “Thank you. Now let’s move on to-”

**ＮＥＷ ＭＥＳＳＡＧＥ ＦＲＯＭ：**

    >Hank Anderson

**ＲＥＡＤ？**

     **> > > > ＲＥＡＤ.**

 ** > Hey kid, im headin home for the day. You home from your walk? ** **_4:12 p.m._ **

Connor’s eyes widen at the time stamp. 4:12? Had the day really gotten away from him that quickly? He looked to Sumo and saw the lazy dog drooped over North’s lap, basking in the late day’s sunlight.

         > No, but I will be there shortly. See you soon. _4: 12 p.m._

    “Connor?” Josh asked hesitantly.

    “Everything okay?” Simon asks him, looking concerned.

    “Do you think we can finish this tomorrow? The day has really escaped me, I didn’t mean to stay so long,” Connor said, rubbing his hands together.

    “What? You aren’t staying here?” North asked incredulously.

    Connor shook his head. “No, I’m staying with a friend right now, I should get back before he worries,” not that he wanted to keep Hank a secret from North, but he hoped that she didn’t find out he was staying with a human. He remembered her case file clear as day and over these few hours he had spent with her he realized how far her hatred for humans went. He didn’t want to ruin any friendships that could come to be with any of Jericho’s leaders.

**ＵＰＤＡＴＩＮＧ ＲＥＬＡＴＩＯＮＳ**

    ＭＡＲＫＵＳ  ： ^ＡＱＵＡＩＮＴＥＤ

    ＳＩＭＯＮ ： ^ＡＱＵＡＩＮＴＥＤ

    ＪＯＳＨ ： ^ＡＱＵＡＩＮＴＥＤ

    ＮＯＲＴＨ： ^ＡＱＵＡＩＮＴＥＤ

    Markus places his hand on Connor’s shoulder. “You are free to leave whenever you like, Connor,” he smiles warmly to him. “Jericho will always be here if you need it.”

    Connor nods to him and then makes his goodbye, Sumo at his side.

    It had been a long day. Now that he’s alone Connor realizes that he actually...enjoyed himself for the most part. His eyes widen at recognizing this feeling. Being productive before deviancy never felt like _this._ He feels lighter, and his mind feels quieter. The itch for his quarter has dulled and he feels at ease with himself.

    He supposes that he must enjoy being useful. It didn’t matter the task, as long as he’s doing something for others. He honestly should have expected this. After all, he was Cyberlife’s most advanced prototype, fully equipped with the latest technology to help protect the people. And though Cyberlife misused him for their own agenda's, that doesn’t invalidate his usefulness. He quickly finds his messaging system and sends a text to Hank.

         >I’d like to clean when I get back. _4:23 p.m._

          **> you sure? ** **_4:26 p.m._ **

         >Yes. _4:26 p.m._

~~~

    “So, had a good day today, Connor?” Hank asked, dirty towel in hand.

    As soon as Connor and Sumo made it home, Connor dragged the old dog into the bathtub; mud from where Sumo rolled around in earlier had dried and caked over parts of his fur, something that Hank wasn’t too pleased about.

    “Yes actually. I learned a lot about myself,” Connor replied easily. Sumo was now clean and dry, tail wagging happily. Connor smiled down at him and walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen.

    Hank’s eyebrows shot up at the sound of a sincere answer. “Wow. If I knew that all you needed was a bit of soulsearchin’ to figure out that mess in your head, I’d have suggested it sooner,” he barks out a laugh before throwing the dirty towel into the laundry bin and heading to the kitchen with Connor. “Tell me, what did you learn on your soulsearchin’ trip?”

    “That I like dogs.”

    Hank laughs at the absurdity of that sentence but lets Connor continue, grabbing a beer from the fridge. “Nice, glad we cleared that one up. Anything else?”

    “I like helping others.”

    Hank looks at Connor, eyes proud. “I’m glad,” he says, taking a swig of the beer. “Now, wanna watch a movie or something? I’ll let you choose.”

    “Actually, I have something else to tell you, Lieutenant, I am in need of some guidance,” Connor said as he wiped down the counters.

    “Oh? And what’s that?” Hank’s muffled voice says from behind the beer bottle.

    “I’ve been roped into being Jericho’s negotiator.”

    Hank chokes on his beer and sends it spraying across the wooden table.

    Connor turns around and frowns at him. “Lieutenant, I just cleaned that.”

    Hank seemed too preoccupied with what he had just admitted, however. “What do you mean you’re Jericho’s negotiator?”

    “Allow me to explain,” Connor pulled a chair from the table and sat down across from Hank. “On my walk today, I ran into Markus who invited me to Jericho today. He told me Jericho is scheduled to meet with President Warren, her cabinet, and Cyberlife to discuss the what the future holds for androids. He then admitted that he and the other leaders were in need of some guidance on how to proceed with their side of the negotiations. Seeing how I am Cyberlife most advanced android, they asked me to attend the meeting as well.”

    “So what’s the problem again?” Hank asked confused.

    “I’m conflicted.”

    Hank frowns at him. “What for? You’re doing a good thing in helping them, Connor.”

    “Hank...I did terrible things before the revolution. I hunted androids, I’m the reason Jericho was found,” Connor trails off, placing his head on the table. “I almost killed Markus.”

 **ＳＴＲＥＳＳ ＬＥＶＥＬＳ** ： ^３４％

     “All of that was before you deviated though, Connor,” Hank says, trying to comfort the kid.

     _But it_ **_wasn’t_ ** _. I almost killed him again._ Connor felt his stress levels rising slowly. He should just tell the Lieutenant, but something was keeping him from doing so.

_I lost control. I could lose control again. For all I know I could be endangering Hank by staying here._

**ＳＴＲＥＳＳ ＬＥＶＥＬＳ** ： ^５６％

    Hank frowned at the lack of response Connor was giving him. It seemed that Connor was dealing with guilt over what he had done, which to Hank was absolute bullshit. The kid hadn’t deviated yet so it’s not like he could have stopped it from happening. Not that being logical in his reasoning would help anything. Hank knew just how illogical emotions could be, and how twisted guilt can feel. “We’re getting a little off topic here,” Hank said, taking another swig of his beer. “What’s this have to do with today’s meeting?”

    “It’s just- they have forgiven me so quickly I-”

    “And that’s a problem?”

    “I don’t deserve it!” The android confessed, pain clearly evident in his voice.

 **ＳＴＲＥＳＳ ＬＥＶＥＬＳ** ： ^７２％

    Hank was stunned into silence by this outburst. He looked to Connor’s LED and saw it whirring a violent red. _That can’t be good._ Hank had never seen the kid so distraught before, not even before when they were on the deviancy cases. It hurt to see someone so new to life already lost to emotional turmoil. Beer in hand forgotten, Hank stood up and took Connor into his arms.

    Connor made no move to reciprocate the hug, but Hank didn’t let go.

    “The night of the raid, when you went to find Jericho- you were just following orders. So that wasn’t your fault.”

    The android didn’t say anything in response but continued to listen.

    “And even though that wasn’t your fault, what did you do right after? You went on a suicide mission to liberate thousands of androids from Cyberlife warehouses. You took it upon yourself to try and right the wrongs of someone else. Now does a bad person do that?”

    Connor stayed quiet at this. Slowly, he sensed that his stress levels were depleting. What the lieutenant was saying made sense.

 _That doesn’t excuse the fact that he’s still dangerous_. But it’s not like he has the courage to tell Hank that.

    “Connor, you’re a good person- you may not believe it, but I do. You deserve a chance at life- it doesn’t matter who you were before.”

    Hank feels the other nod slightly against his shoulder, which he assumes meant that the other understood, so he lets go. He gives Connor a lopsided grin before finishing the last of the beer he left on the table.

    “Alright, enough sappy shit. How about that movie?” Hank said as he walked away towards the living room.

    Connor sighed to himself before answering, “Yes, Lieutenant, I think a movie is just what I need right now.”

    “It’s Hank- you’re not at the DPD.”

    “...Hank it is then,” Connor said as he sat down on the couch. Immediately after sitting down, Sumo ran for Connor’s lap and plopped down on top of him. If Connor was human, he knew that the 200-pound dog would have definitely crushed him.

    “Traitor,” Hank muttered as he pulled old DVDs out.

    “It’s because you don’t pet him as much as I do.”

    “No, it’s because you baby him too much!” Hank said pointedly. He dropped some DVDs onto the coffee table before taking a seat next to Connor. “Now, what do you wanna watch? Sorry, I don’t really got anything from after 2030.”

    Connor went through the pile until one case caught his attention. It was an old animated film that when he searched up had excellent reviews. “This one,” he said, giving the case to Hank.

    “Oh, this one takes me way back!” Hank said as he opened the DVD up. “Hopefully it still works, I haven’t watched this in so long.” The older man placed the DVD into the old player and waited in a hopeful silence for the title screen to pop up. When it did, balloons covered the t.v. in thousands of colors before “UP” was stated in bold white letters. Connor noted to himself that he rather enjoyed the whimsical music that played in the background.

    Hank sat back down on the couch and reassured Connor that he’ll “love this one, I promise.”

    Connor smiled at him and turned his attention to the screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter summary  
> connor: *super cool anime explanation about how jericho can get what the want @ the cabinet meeting*  
> *new message from hank*  
> connor: sorry everyone my dad is on his way home ttyl  
> jericho: no wait don't leave
> 
> connor: I like helping people  
> also connor: *squinting his eyes* but i dont deserve the chance to
> 
> hank: alright pick a movie  
> connor: *sees movie about one of the best father son found family feel good movies ever made where an older man with a sad backstory learns to be happy again with the help of the younger son figure*  
> connor:  
> connor:  
> connor: t  
> connor: that one


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back, back again  
> Shady's back, tell a friend
> 
> im so sorry i know i haven't updated in so long but neither of my fics are abandoned i just dont really have time for them in this moment of time. However!! as soon as it becomes may 22, im updating this fics on the regular once again! hope you guys enjoy this connor centric chapter, I honestly dont know if this one is shorter than usual since its been so long. hopefully there isn't TOO much typos.
> 
> as usual, comments and kudos are really appreciated, shout out to TNKT for giving me the motivation to write this chapter
> 
> oh i should say a warning ⚠️ there's minor character death, mentioning suicide just as a heads up.

**_ＲＵＮＮＩＮＧ ＰＲＥＣＯＮＳＴＲＵＣＴＩＯＮ．．．_ **

_ＲＵＮＮＩＮＧ．．．_

_ＲＵＮＮＩＮＧ．．．_

_ＲＵＮＮＩＮＧ．．．_

    It’s cold,

    So, so cold.

Connor opens his eyes to see a world frozen over. He is no longer in Hank’s house, which is confusing him the most.

    “H-hank?” Connor calls out into the frigid air. When there is no response he takes a step forward, causing the slightest _crrrrack!_ In the ground beneath him.

    He looked down, scanning the area. From what he could make out, he’s currently standing on a frozen lake. Awaking in this new environment with winds blowing from every possible direction, Connor felt uncharacteristically vulnerable, even though he can see that no one else is here with him. _And where is ‘here’ exactly?_ The frost has made it nearly impossible to see through. He’s shivering, and instinctively Connor brings his arms into himself to preserve heat when he sees it, a blue armband over his right arm.

    His thirium pump regulator jolts as he looks down upon himself and sees he is still in the cyberlife uniform, the one he threw out after the revolution-

    Despair washes over him when he realizes that he is back inside the Zen Garden.

    Back inside her clutches.

     _No, this can’t be real,_ he pleads, but everything about this place tells him otherwise. He whips his head around, looking for _her._ He feels numb from the chill; it has only been minutes here but he can already feel a significant lag from biocomponents threatening to freeze over. But Connor continues to persevere. He won’t die here, he won’t let _her_ win, not now, not ever.

    This newfound determination is shortlived, however, as it is cast aside when a harsh wind knocks him off balance- almost in retaliation for thinking he could defeat it. Connor stumbles as he catches himself on his hands and knees, making the ice underneath him crack deeper from the force.

    He takes an unnecessary deep breath before steadying himself once more. Careful not to disturb the ice anymore, Connor slowly shuffles away from the large crack. Judging by the freezing temperatures, he only has 2 minutes left before shut down. _Focus, Connor,_ he tells himself. _You just need to find the emergency exit just like before-_

A familiar laugh overshadows the loud whirlwind that encircles him, making him feel for the first time, helpless.

    He doesn’t like the feeling.

    “You really think you could escape me?” Amanda’s icy voice rings out from the foggy void. The wind grows stronger, to the point where it is nigh impossible to navigate without falling over. “I’m always here, Connor,” her voice croons. “You can never escape me.”

    Connor tries to ignore her taunting as he can’t pinpoint where exactly it is coming from. He feels frost crawling up his fingers, and though Connor’s android body is immune to pain, the icy burn is almost unbearable. He tries to hug himself to keep warm but to his horror, he realizes that his hands have stopped working.     

 **ＷＡＲＮＩＮＧ：** ＦＲＥＥＺＩＮＧ ＴＥＭＰＥＲＡＴＵＲＥＳ ＡＲＥ ＣＡＵＳＩＮＧ ＢＩＯＣＯＭＰＯＮＥＮＴ ＦＡＩＬＵＲＥＳ． ＦＩＮＤ ＳＨＥＬＴＥＲ ＩＭＭＥＤＩＡＴＥＬＹ．

ＴＩＭＥ ＲＥＭＡＩＮＩＮＧ ＢＥＦＯＲＥ ＳＨＵＴＤＯＷＮ：

**－００：００：４７**

    Connor blanches at the time remaining; the situation was not in his favor. Frantically, Connor looks around for any sign of the emergency exit. _Please,_ Connor begs, but he doesn’t who exactly to who. _I don’t want to die!_

ＴＩＭＥ ＲＥＭＡＩＮＩＮＧ ＢＥＦＯＲＥ ＳＨＵＴＤＯＷＮ：

**－００：００：３６**

    Connor feels tears threatening to fall in the corner of his eyes as the numbers count down to his death. **_I_ ** _d̶͐̚͝o̷͙͙͗̊̐̽̾̉͘͝n’t_ **_w@_ ** _nt_ **_to̷͗̊̐_ ** _di_ **_3!̵̅̅͋̓̇̊͘_ **

**** Suddenly to his surprise, the fog dissipates, revealing the blue light of the emergency exit Kamski designed. It’s across the lake and Connor moves as quickly as possible across the frozen water without disturbing the ice too much.

ＴＩＭＥ ＲＥＭＡＩＮＩＮＧ ＢＥＦＯＲＥ ＳＨＵＴＤＯＷＮ：

**－００：００：１９**

Connor is halfway when he feels the ice crack from his movement. He looks down and feels the thirium drain from his face as he sees his reflection is not of himself, but of **_her._ **

**** Amanda is smiling back at him, but like the Zen garden itself, it is empty of any warmth it once had. It’s almost predatory.

ＴＩＭＥ ＲＥＭＡＩＮＩＮＧ ＢＥＦＯＲＥ ＳＨＵＴＤＯＷＮ：

**－００：００：１２**

Connor sees the timer is still counting down but can’t move anymore, he’s too afraid. The ice below him quickly splinters, breaking Amanda’s smile into hundreds of pieces and Connor feels himself sinking far below the surface, far away from the only exit of his mind.

     _“You say you don’t want to die, Connor…”_

ＴＩＭＥ ＲＥＭＡＩＮＩＮＧ ＢＥＦＯＲＥ ＳＨＵＴＤＯＷＮ：

**－００：００：０５**

**_“But you weren’t alive in the first place.”_ **

**－００：００：０４**

**－００：００：０３**

**－００：００：０２**

**－００：００：０１**

**－００：００：００**

 

**_ＰＲＥＣＯＮＳＴＲＵＣＴＩＯＮ ＣＯＭＰＬＥＴＥ._ **

    Connor woke from sleep mode four hours prior to his usual alarm setting, LED pulsing a bright and dangerous red in the dark of Hank’s living room. That’s right, he’s in Hank’s living room. For what felt like hours, Connor dared not to move as he couldn’t trust his eyes. _What if this is another trick, another ploy to make me feel safe, what if she takes control again, what if she makes me hurt Sumo and Hank and North and Josh and Simon and Markus-_

**ＳＴＲＥＳＳ ＬＥＶＥＬＳ ＲＩＳＩＮＧ ^ ５４％**

_Calm down._

    Connor sat up straight, throwing the unnecessary blankets Hank gave him off himself. He needed to calm himself down or else he would wake up Hank. Hank didn’t like to be woken up unexpectedly, especially after a night of drinking.

_He’ll be mad, he’ll yell at you, tell you to get out of here._

_It’s not like you don’t deserve it._

**ＳＴＲＥＳＳ ＬＥＶＥＬＳ ＲＩＳＩＮＧ ^ ６３％**

Though the chances of Hank throwing him out on the street seemed to be highly unlikely, an irrational part of him was scared. After all, statistically speaking, there's always a chance for unlikely events to take place.

**ＳＴＲＥＳＳ ＬＥＶＥＬＳ ＲＩＳＩＮＧ ^ ７１％**

    Connor decidedly does _not_ like that thought. He stands up briskly and starts pacing in the living room, hoping that the repetitive movement will qualm his rising stress levels. After pacing for 15 minutes, Connor realizes dumbfoundedly that what he had just experienced had been his first dream and additionally, his first nightmare. This thought was oddly calming to him, as it helped him reinforce the suspicion that it wasn’t real, that Amanda can’t hurt him now that he has left the Zen Garden. Kamski’s emergency exit made sure of that.

**ＳＴＲＥＳＳ ＬＥＶＥＬＳ ＤＥＣＲＥＡＳＩＮＧ ｖ ５６％**

    Feeling safe enough to crawl back onto the couch, Connor pulls the blankets back onto him and lays down to re-enter sleep mode. Just as he was about to reconnect his charging port, a message appears on his HUD.

    ＩＮＣＯＭＩＮＧ ＭＥＳＳＡＧＥ ＦＲＯＭ： ＲＫ２００ ＃６８４ ８４２ ９７１ ‘ＭＡＲＫＵＳ’ ０２：３４：５６

>ＯＰＥＮ

>ＣＬＥＡＲ

 

**> >>ＯＰＥＮ**

> **Connor, I understand you might be asleep right now, but something has happened. Can you come to New Jericho right now? 2:34 a.m.**

Connor frowns at the message. Something’s happened? Immediately Connor’s mind races through every bad case scenario; Anti-Android protestors showing up to Zug, the government deciding that maybe Androids don’t deserve freedom and raiding the place, Markus and Jericho’s leaders trapped like rats at the hands of merciless soldiers-

    > **Connor? 2:36 a.m.**

    A new message pulls Connor from his thoughts. Looks like he forgot to reply.

    > Something’s happened? Is New Jericho safe? Are you in trouble? 2:36 a.m.

    > **No, nothing like that- there’s a change of plans for next week’s cabinet meeting. 2:36 a.m.**

> **I think you should check the news before you come, however; just so we can all be on the same page. 2:36 a.m.**

Connor frowns at the message. Breaking news usually makes a 7 a.m. headline, but whatever has happened probably has made an uproar if Markus is asking him to come to New Jericho immediately. Thankfully, Connor didn’t have to search for long; in fact, he didn’t even have to search at all. In his news application in giant red letters reads:

**BREAKING: CYBERLIFE SUICIDES WHO’S TO INHERIT THE CRUMBLING CORPORATION?**

_Cyberlife CEO, CFO, and CMO found dead at Detroit’s Cyberlife plant. No foul play is suspected, as the bodies were found-_

    The door to Hank’s room suddenly bursts open as the older gentleman came running out, hair sticking out in every direction, his walk hindered by the fact that he was still pulling his pants up. “Connor! I just got called in; Fowler says it’s an emergency, he says-”

    “Cyberlife’s CEO, CFO, and CMO were found apparently dead at Cyberlife’s Headquarters?” Connor finished for him.

    Hank stared at him dumbfounded. “How the fuck did you know that?”

    He doesn’t bother answering the question, as he instead asks in turn, “Can you drop me off at Zug’s Island?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter summary  
> connor: *in nightmare* where the FUCK am i  
> amanda: guess whos back back again  
> connor: oh just kill me now you homicidal alexa
> 
> connor: *wakes up*  
> connor: im in a constant state of stress.
> 
> markus: connor guess what?  
> connor: what?  
> markus: no you have to guess  
> connor: idk what  
> markus: all three of cyberlifes executives just committed suicide  
> connor: why the fuck would you make me guess that what's wrong with you


End file.
